5129/Where There's Smoke

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Where There's Smoke
Date of Scene: 08 August 2018
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: The Teen of Steel is a mystery to most- a perfect target for the most curious among the superhero community.
Cast of Characters: Superboy, 87




Superboy has posed:
     Twilight in the Rockaways, there was plenty of activity around, but there was something off tonight. There was a towering fire in a new condo building.

  Police kept away most civilians, and the fire department was on call, but they didnt have the means to reach a fire that was so tall.

  The sirens were able to be heard from a long ways away, and soon, Superboy had been sent out to assist. The teen had set down, talking to the chief. "So, from what you know, everyone on the top floors are evacuated? Good."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
A cnonflagration so close to home was sure to catch his attention. Even without the news itemps popping up on his phone, the smell that came through the open window was detectable to his sense of smell. A quick race to the roof allowed him to see in greater detail what was going on.

Getting there, however, was something else. Because his Rabbit Holes were not easy to summon due to... due to the thing that was in his head right now, he had to take the long way. Fortunately, his chaos wave and illusions still worked as intended, so it took Vorpal just a little bit of creativity to fashion a transport...

The Cheshire Cat touches down in front of the building as the 'magic carpet' (a rug, animated with chaos magic) flutters to the ground, its magical life exhausted. There are people that have been evacuated- many don't really notice him in the state of panic, which is fine by him.

"Time to go in!" he wraps the damp towel he has brought from his apartment around his face, to cover his mouth and nose, and the goggles slap right over his eyes. It's not the best filtering, but it should be enough- as he runs in, he is couting on his senses to help him hear, even if faintly over the roaring fire, the cries of anyone trapped within as he begins to check doors.


Superboy has posed:
     Many didnt see Vorpal go in, but Project Kr managed to see something out of the corner of his eye. "Do what you can from the ground. I can take the top floors." He responds to the fire chief before he starts running inside. There was no cape with his outfit today. His suit showed his runner's physique.

  Once he's in the building, he tries to find Vorpal inside, reaching out his own hearing to try and find him.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal isn't in stealth mode, that's for sure. His progress can be heard by the sound of doors getting kicked down or, in the worst of cases, magicked open. So far every apartment seemed empty, but there were many to go. He moves as fast as he can, knowing that the filter isn't going to work for too long and he may have to use the Rabbit Holes after all.

He lifts the towel briefly to shout "Can you hear me? Shout if you can hear me!" he bellows. And then he coughs, hastily replacing his imperfect protection.

He really should have called the Titans. Raven could teleport easily into every room in the blinking of an eye and transport people out...

Then again, he might be excused, as he is not in the clearest of mental states.

As he runs, he is grateful for the fact that his uniform is pretty light. The heat is starting to get to him... damned fur.

Superboy has posed:
     Superboy runs to Vorpal's voice. He is quickly there, and he holds up a hand. "Hey! Youre gonna hurt yourself!" He exclaims, in a flash, he is back with a mask and air mixture for Vorpal. Its heavy, but it is better than smoke inhalation.

  "I saw an old water tower out there. I think I can grab it and douse the fire. But I was worried there were more people stuck in here." He offers, he woud be able to search quickly, given his speed.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The cat gets the mixer and mask on first, and takes a few breaths before speaking. "Superboy! thanks..." he is a little slow, as the heat is working on him, but he is awake enough, minus the bit of smoke he inhaled through his makeshift filter already. "Why not search the building? I can bring the water from the tower if it's clear..." He thinks, at least. That would involve opening up a Rabbit Hole inside the tower. But if Superboy was anything like his... fellow? He could look through the place faster than the Cheshire Cat could. "Sounds like a plan? Before the structural damage is too muh for the building and the water causes it to collapse when we bring it?"

Superboy has posed:
     Superboy gives a thumbs up. "It will destroy a lot of doors. But I can. See what you can do about the water." With that, he's off with a flash, searching through the apartments with super speed. He didnt have the two things that would help the most in this situation. But he was super fast. With every person stuck inside, he would rush them out and to safety.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
It takes a lot of concentration, because there are things that are trying to pull his attention away. The fire is really the least of it, for when Vorpal tries to picture the inside of the water tower, the first thing that comes to his mind is that... image. The shape he can never get.r
It tries to pull his attention away, so much so that he almost feels the chaos magic engaging and instead of a Rabbit Hole, it is trying to bring.. something else.

He can't let it happen that way. With as much focus as he can muster, he tries to silence the voice in his head, and turns his attention to the tower.

All too late, he realizes he should have gotten out of the building before trying this... can't change that now. He is rooted to the spot. To move would be to lose his grip. He doesn't even notice how close the fire may get... all he can do is hold on.

"I'm ready!" he calls out, and waits for the signal, his eyes firmly shut.

Superboy has posed:
     The evacuated top floors had no one, but he was ready.

  Superboy came back in a flash. "Do it!" He yells, looking at Vorpal, ready to drag him out as well when the time was right.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
When the water came, it spared nothing. The Rabbit hole opened at the very top floor. By the time the water reached the lower levels, it was a veritable tide. The Cheshire cat wasn't aware of it, not until it very much was on top of him. The whole world was made of smoke now, and then an aquamarine wave that loomed over him.

He opened his eyes.

"Oshi-" Glub. For a moment he felt relief at being soaked after so much heat- but then the water started to drag him along...

Superboy has posed:
     "Hold on!" Superboy had been there, enough to grab at Vorpal's arm and hold fast. He wouldnt let go until the danger had past.

  There may have been some time that Tommy felt the grip suddenly loosen, only to return to normal strength. Superboy had felt it, his powers weakening before the proverbial gas was ramped up again. It was less than ideal.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The water passes soon enough, but now the interior of the building is a jungle of smoke. "L-let's get outta here-" Vorpal manages to croak out. He managed to lose his mixer in the midst of the mini-tsunami, but even if he had it on, it would have been a prudent move to leave due to structural damage.

"Once outside, he gladly takes the mask off and starts to inhale fresh air...or fresh enough, by his standards. "Holy..." he says, swaying a bit as the reality of what happened hits him. "That was a close one..."

Superboy has posed:
     The water drenched, and Superboy's suit was now a shade or two darker.

  "Yeah, I think the firefighters can take it from here." He comments.

  Once outside, Superboy looks back to the now drenched building. "Nice job, man!" He says, giving a pat to the back of Vorpal.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Could've been better..." Vorpal says, wiping the wet hair ut of his eyes, and looks around. "We're a little conspicuous here... think you could get us to a rooftop?" He thinks for a second, and then adds "One that is preferably NOT on fire, if you will." The cheshire grins.

Superboy has posed:
     The dark haired teen reaches to Vorpal, taking off into the air.

  The two land on a rooftop a bit away from the hullabaloo below. "How's this?" He asks.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Much better..." Vorpal says, crossing his arms and rubbing his elbows. The downside of being covered in fur is the fact that getting it wet means you're stuck wearing a wet, cold coat you can't take off. He's shivering, but tries not to make a show of it. "It was good you showed up when you did. Without you, I'd have screwed the pooch." He peers over at Superboy, noticing that he's as soaked as he is. "How did you find out about the fire?"

Superboy has posed:
     The younger male doesnt seem too bothered with the cold but notices the other is. "I saw it, or at least...the folks I live with did." He didnt say more. But then again, he didn't canter his head like last time.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"You do shroud yourself with a lot of secrecy. For someone who doesn't wear a mask," Vorpal raises an eyebrow and smirks lightly, pacing around the rooftop a bit to warm up, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind him. He peers over the edge of the roof to check in on the remnants of the fire. The emergency respondents have taken over, everything seems to be going according to plan.

"So..." he walks back up to the teen of steel, looking up at him. He is taller than Vorpal. Everybody is taller than Vorpal. "This is twice you have saved my fur from the fire. This time literally. Coincidence?"

Superboy has posed:
     A blush shows on Superboy's cheeks. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I just...can't say...a lot of things about where I live."

  The curiosity about the scene of the fire is enough to garner a look from the Kryptonian. "Well, I was outside with the chief. Trying to come up with a stretegy to help douse the fire. I saw you run in with the towel and thought you were crazy."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"I am crazy. It's my best feature." Vorpal smirks and crosses his arms again, trying to stay warm. He focuses on a point in the distance for a few seconds, and ponders.

"I should really send a report to the Titans about the fire. But..." He chuckles, "Robin can find out about it via the news and then lecture me about improper fire equipment. I'm freezing my tail off."

He points. "My apartment is that way. We both can dry up over there- I'll throw your stuff in the dryer and it'll be done in thirty. Flying around in that while wet and you'll catch a super pneumonia."

Plus he wanted to start drying up stat, before he started shivering so much his teeth would start chattering. There was no way to look dignified that way. "It's the least I can do to repay you for basically saving me twice."
5r

Superboy has posed:
     Project Kr gives a nod. "Sounds good to me." He says, looking to the cat. "Shall we?"

  The young man reaches a hand toward Vorpal. The suit was already starting to dry, but he wouldnt be rude to pass up such a nice offer.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Don't drop me," Vorpal says, mostly joking, but takes the proferred hand. He wasn't about to pass up a flight- especially now that his Rabbit Hole was unreliable.

The thought of having Superboy around for a little bit longer helps- the thing in his head is subdued when other people are around. It gets very hard to ignore when he is by himself.

He had left his window open, of course, so it was an easy way in. It also helped to air out the place after a day of stuffy, hot and blazing sunlight.

"Go ahead and set your uniform there," the cat gestures to the table as he fumbles with the collar to his uniform, "I'll go and get the dryer sheets." Zip. He starts bringing the zipper down on his outfit as he walks into the other room. He quickly slips out of his uniform while in the bedroom and wraps himself up with a towel around his waist, and another one around hanging from his shoulders. He walks back into the living room, dryer sheets in one hand and his wet uniform, balled up, in his other hand.

Superboy has posed:
     Once the pair reached their destination, Superboy looked to the Cheshire. "Oh, umm. You don't happen to have another towel, would you?" He asks, standing, one would be able to guess that he didnt have on much underneath the uniform. His boots were off at least, but the rest of the unitard was on.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal grabs the towel around his neck and tosses it at Superboy, "Already got your back," and turns to the dryers. He throws his uniform into the machine and tosses a few dryer sheets and then walks to the refrigerator.

"D'you want a soda or something like that? I've got stuff left from before my trip here," he says, loooking over his shoulder at Superboy.

Superboy has posed:
     The teen grabs the towel, pulling a zipper down to halfway down his back.

  "A soda? What kind?" He asks, though if he was honest, he hadn't really had one before. The rest of the costume was removed and the towel placed to keep his modesty. Though he was indeed in shape, and decently muscled.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Hm, looks like it's mostly coke." He brings out a can and holds it up for his guest to approve. For a moment he pauses, but then he quickly snaps back into himself and walks up to his guest.

"I'll trade ya." He offers the can and grabs the other's soaked uniform, to put in the dryer.

As he closes the dryer door, he hits the button and the machine comes to life. With a little bound, Vorpal sits on top of the dryer, shaking his head to get the strands of wet red hair out of his face.

"My name's Tommy. What do I get to call you?" he asks, smiling and making sure he establishes eye contact. His eyes are up there. Yep. He has eyes. Two of them.

Superboy has posed:
     Superboy takes the red can and looks it over carefully, exchanging the uniform for the soda.

  "Superboy, didn't I mention that before?" He asks, certainly not thinking he was being asked what his real name was. Suddenly he realized what it was Tommy was looking for. "Oh...I don't really have one?" He asks, not that he doesn't know, its that he didn't have a real name like Tommy did.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Now that's just silly. Everybody has a name!" Vorpal says, smiling. Or, at least, he is smiling outwardly. Internally, he is curious, a little suspicious, and slightly puzzled. He slides off the dryer and walks casually twards Superboy, tilting his head, "I mean, if you don't think I'm trustworthy enough to know your secret identity, you can tell me, you know."

And here, he engages in a bit of play-acting. He gives Sueprboy a glance, the kind of appreciative glance that is accompanied by flirtation, "Winning trust can be fun" he says, and looks at him up and down.

It could come off as a purely flirtatious gesture, but Tommy has an ulterior motive- namely, checking to see whether or not the Teen of Steel has a navel. Because he can think of two reasons for someone not having a name, and one of them involves having just emerged from the birth canal.

Superboy has posed:
     Project Kr is dling his fair share of blushing at this point. He never needed a name before. "I trust you. I just, don't have a name."

  When it comes to the navel, there isn't any to be seen there. The Genesis Chamber born clone's stomach area was smooth, aside from the abdominal muscles that were seen on his body.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Completely smooth. Okay, So this was unusual.

The clothes dryer starts its cycle with both uniforms in it, with a couple of dryer sheets for good measure.

"That's interesting," he says, smilng and ambling over to the couch. He sits down and pats the space next to him. "You don't have a name. Well... why do you do what you do? You know. Saving the day, putting out fires, saving kittens from trees?"

Under the slightly flirtatious exterior, Tommy watches Superboy closely, especially his body language. Is the interrogation making him uncomfortable? Is he trying to deceive in some measure? Was it a good idea to trust him with his identity? Hopefully he'd be able to read him better up close. He was both wary AND curious- he was a sucker for a mystery, and Superboy presented a very unusual one- why he did what he did, and who he ws.

Superboy has posed:
     Superboy walks over to the couch and sits down as asked. "Well, it is the good thing to do. Help people, I can do so much, then why not?"

  The teen was answering honestly, only looking uncomfortable when it came to his name, or lack thereof.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Well, that's something I can't deny, of course." He leans in, resting his arm on Superboy's shoulder as if he were speaking to a confidante. "So what does Superboy do when he's not out there helping people? You go home, you take off your suit... and then what?"

He raises his eyebrows and grins, "You go to school? Maybe at M.U?" Likely. And it would be funny, if they had been attending the same school all the time.

Superboy has posed:
     Superboy's ears kinda perk up at what he does in his free time. "I train, study and watch movies and stuff. Owen comes in and he usually has some discs I can watch. Lots of cool stuff too. I don't go to school, but I have teachers."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Owen? Is that your..." Vorpal asks casually, taking a sip from his coke. He realizes that if he asks too many leading questions he may cause Superboy to bolt when he catches on that he's digging. Perhaps he needs a distraction. Putting his soda con on the coffee table, he stretches, as if fighting off exhaustion, and allows himself to lean down and rest the back of his head on Superboy's lap, looking up at him. "Owen, you were saying?"

He hopes this is a good enough distraction. The few lessons he has had with Robin on interrogation featured... a wholly different kind of distration tactics. Not the kind you'd want to use on a potential ally, more along the 'make criminals darken their pants' sort of category, really.

Superboy has posed:
     The gesture makes Superboy blush quite a bit. "Umm, he's my friend, he works for the building I live at. He comes in and makes sure everything is clean, brings food for me, and movies." The kryptonian doesn't call him a janitor, and definitely not a butler. In truth, he was assigned to take care of Superboy, keep him complacent and teach him earth culture.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"At the building you live at? Which building is that? Maybe I've passed by it." He reaches up to playfully run a fingertip across Superboy's ear ridge. At first he wasn't sure, but now he is certain that the he is indeed the cause of the blushing. Which means that, in the grand scheme of things, Tommy is now calling the shots. Of course, part of his mind is inescapably aware that he is sprawled across the lap of one of the most attrative guys he has ever met, and that's a little hard to ignore, so he hopes this distraction doesn't backfire on him. Just to make sure, he gives his towel a quick tug to make sure it is still firmly tied across his waist, and continues, "Do you live with your parents?"

Superboy has posed:
     "Uhh, I doubt it. It kinda...is hard to find. I don't even know what its called." Project Kr looks down at the cheshire on his lap. "No, I don't." He answers, to that he looks a little uneasy about. He wasn't lying, but he also didnt know his parents.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Well, he had been circcling for a while. Now it was time to bring it home and see if he was anywhere near right. He brings his hand down and slowly runs it down Superboy's abdomen, stopping right where the navel should be. "You know," he says casually, keeping his eyes on Superboy, "I actually do know -one- other guy who -doesn't- have a bellybutton." He pokes where it would be playfully with an index finger, and raises an eyebrow. "You met him when you brought me to the tower. Brick?" He waits for a reaction.

Superboy has posed:
     Superboy blinks multiple times. He wasn't sure what Vorpal had meant, though he did look at the area where a navel should be on him. "Brick? The...tech-y guy, right?" He asks, not knowing anything else about Brick to genuinely react differently.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Yeah, our tech guy. That's good ol' Brick." Looking at Superboy's puzzled look, Vorpal grabs one of Superboy's hands and puts it on his own stomach "You see here? I've got one. Happens when you're born, when they detach the umbilical cord." He crosses his legs and rests his hands behind his head, looking up at Superboy. "Brick didn't exactly come out of a birth canal. How about you?"

Superboy has posed:
     The Kryptonian feels the area, the little divot of skin and viscera that once attached Tommy to his mother. "I guess I didn't then." It wasn't anything he had to think about before. But now, it was something he would have to ask about.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Who /are/ you, Superboy?" Tommy asks, sitting up. He scoots over so that he is sitting /on/ Superboy's lap, so the teen of steel doesn't have a chance to flee before answering. "There's a lot about your story that just raises more questions." He tilts his head and fowns. "I mean. Does Superman know you exist?"

Superboy has posed:
     The normally cheerful and hopeful cobalt eyes of Superboy only grow somewhat sullen, almost less vibrant. "I don't know." It sounds very sad, but there wasn't a happy way to admit there was a lot of things that needed answering.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The cat frowns. He didn't expect this. Not exactly. It didn't dawn on him that he was poking around a person's feelings, but rather he imagined himself some puzzle solver set on untangling a knot.

He felt like a heel.

After some internal deliberation, the cat leans forward and proceeds to hug Superboy. He was already on his lap, so it wasn't like he had a long way to go.

"Hey... Er... I'm sorry. I really ask too many questions for my own good..."

Superboy has posed:
     The hug does a good deal to raise Superboy's spirits, he wraps an arm around the purple fuzzy one. "It's okay..." His comment trails off, it was just a lot to take in at the moment.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Tommy lets the hug linger for a while, enjoying the warmth and the contact, and letting his guard down. There was no malice in him, that he could detect. Maybe he had become inordinately suspicious? Maybe it was driven by that afterthought that had plagued the back of his mind...

No. Don't think about it. Don't even go there, or it'll start again.

He exhales softly, and he decides that a distraction for himself is in order. He had seen Superboy blush... maybe he was receptive to more.

"You smell nie, by the way," he says quietly, and touches his nose to the side of Superboy's neck, just to see how he will react. "... if you don't like me being so close, you can tell me, you know that- right?"

Superboy has posed:
     Superboy does indeed shudder a little as Vorpal touches his nose to his neck. "I-its ok." He comments, not really disliking the attention. He was soon growing back to the cheerful guy that he met in the alley.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Tommy chuckles a bit, mildly encouraged by Superboy's response. "Okay, then, maybe I won't draw back just yet." He reaches over and runs his fingertips through Superboy's hair, nuzzling his cheek with a soft purr. "Maybe I can make it up for being such a-"

He blinks for a second. And then he stares, focusing his eyes.

"What is /this/?"

His hand was close to Superboy's ear. With a simple movement, he reaches in and plucks at the earbud nestled in, which he can finally see, at this close proximity.

"What the hell!" the cat backs away, and ends up falling off Superboy's lap, and onto the floor. He hastily readjusts the towel, which was briefly undone, and then stands up. One hand holding the towel in place around his waist, and another holding up the earbud, an indignant expression on his face.

Superboy has posed:
     The Kryptonian feels back when Vorpal finds the earpiece. "That? It's how they talk to me in the field, the people I live with." He isn't ashamed or show any signs of guilt. He doesn't know any different. "What's wrong? Don't you use comms?"

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The Cheshire cat's jaw drops, and he stares at the earbud, and then at Superboy.

"I... I just revealed my secret identity to..." his eyes rivet on Superboy, pointing at the earbud "WHO do you live with? Who are these people? Because they now know who I am. That waas only for /your/ ears!"

Superboy has posed:
     "The doctors, I don't even think they know what's going on. They haven't said anything since..." He trails off, widening his eyes. "The water, I think it broke with the water."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"What Doctors, Superboy?" Vorpal asks quietly, suspicion creeping back into his eyes. He looks over the earbud to see if there are any distinctive markings or anything that might indicate their provenance.

"Superboy, you told me you lived with this Owen fellow, now there are 'doctors' all of a sudden? What is going on?"

Superboy has posed:
     Superboy finally sighed. "Owen, yeah. He works for them, and the doctors do too, Doctor Stanley, Doctor Harper, Doctor Sanderson, lots more." The earbud has a logo on it, but it shouldn't be anything Vorpal has seen before. "I don't live with Owen, he just...shows up, you know?" How does a living experiment explain something so commonplace to himself, but foreign to everyone else?

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The Cheshire cat looks at Superboy, and whatever openness was there before is now replaced with suspicion. "You should go," he says flatly, his fingers closing around the earbud. He walks over to the kitchen, not glancing back at Superboy, his mouth drawn into a tight line.

Superboy has posed:
     Project Kr stands, gathering his boots. "Okay." He comments, not angry, saddened definitely. "Thank you for inviting me over." He says, ever with manners. "I just need my uniform."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Tommy walks to the dryer and retrieves Superboy's uniform, stopping the machine mid-cycle. He steps up to the teen of steel with the uniform and hands it to him, quickly turning arounf again and walking towards the kitchen, arms crossed. There is some remorse in his eyes, but there's also a guarded attitude. Without really noticing, he palms the earbud in his right hand as one would with a stress ball.

Superboy has posed:
Superboy got dressed again, it was still somewhat damp, but it was asked if him to leave and that is what he was going to do. Once he was all dressed again, he placed the towel on the couch. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." He says in a solemn voice, before stepping out to the balcony and takes off toward Cadmus, where he was sure to be given a talking to about what happened to his comms and going off grid for as long as he did, and none of this meeting had been heard.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Tommy stands in the middle of his kitchen for several minutes after Superboy leaves, and then he finally lets go.

"Goddamnit," he hisses, throwing the can of coke into the wastebasket. He feels embarrassed and foolish. He had let those stunning blue eyes and that earnestnes lower his guard. It doesn't matter that the earbud had malfunctioned- Superboy clearly didn't know that until Vorpal noticed it. If it hadn't malfunctioned, the 'doctors' would have heard everything- his name, know where he lived. His secret identity, exposed just like that.

The earbud.

He opens his hand and looks at it. Then he closes his hand again and makes a note to toss it at Brick, to see if he can identify that strange emblem, and whatever else he can toodle around with.

Hadn't he told himself he'd never let himself trust another man like he trusted Gar? Flesh was weak. He let his loneliness get the better of him.

"Not anymore."

He had to put all of that out of his mind. He couldn't trust- couldn't let anyone get that close. Soft skin, pleading eyes, warmth-for what? To pave the road for another betrayal?

He sets the earbud down on the table and grabs a sketchbook from one of the bookshelves. Grabbing a pencil, he lets his hand trace lines across the paper and thus ends the night decidedly doing the opposite of what he had set out to do:

Think about *it*.

Within the hour, the floor was covered with discarded sheets of paper bearing squiggly symbols, the only sound to be heard in the apartment being the scribbling of the pencil, and the tearing of pages.